What could be a better eco retreat than drifting along the coastline in your own self-sustaining floating resort? Designed by <a href="http://www.mpd-designs.com/">Michele Puzzolante</a>, this aquatic escape is a waterworld-esque floating island that offers a slice of the good life - even as the world's receding shorelines become cluttered with hotels. The Solar Floating Resort (SFR) sleeps six and sports an underwater observation room, a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/the-last-resort-a-solar-powered-floating-home/">photovoltaic thin-film skin</a>, and an on-deck Jacuzzi.

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Solar Floating Resort by Michele Puzzolante

OK, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/submarine-house/">we've seen concepts like this</a> for years now - <a href="http://inhabitat.com/amphibious-1000/">round floating retreats</a> complete with a transparent room in the belly to see all the fish swim by.

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Solar Floating Resort by Michele Puzzolante

The idea is certainly appealing considering the fact that the world's rising oceans make on-shore resorts a bit tenuous.

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Solar Floating Resort by Michele Puzzolante

Puzzolante takes the issue of raising oceans more seriously with his interpretation, as the SFR is a fully <a href="http://inhabitat.com/turanor-planetsolar-solar-boat-completes-its-trip-around-the-world/">self-supporting design</a>.

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Solar Floating Resort by Michele Puzzolante

The ship features a thin film solar skin applied to a lightweight balsa-reinforced fiberglass hull.

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Solar Floating Resort by Michele Puzzolante

The round shape of the vessel provides constant exposure to the sun, feeding batteries during daylight hours to supply clean energy through the night.

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Solar Floating Resort by Michele Puzzolante

The interior skin is also layered in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dye-sensitized_solar_cell">dye-sensitized thin-film PV</a> to absorb artificial light at night, creating a 30mm <a href="http://inhabitat.com/guardian-develops-hyper-insulating-vacuum-glass/">vacuum</a> with the outer layer.

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Solar Floating Resort by Michele Puzzolante

While original, this setup is both extraordinarily expensive and impractical - but hey we’re on vacation.

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Solar Floating Resort by Michele Puzzolante

The 110 square meter deck provides plenty of room for private amenities for six guests.

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Solar Floating Resort by Michele Puzzolante

The interior is cleverly laid out to provide both quiet niches and grand views. For instance, the attached baths have a space-saving water closet hanging off the tub.

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Solar Floating Resort by Michele Puzzolante

The core of the space is a large kitchen and bar, with a center spiral staircase leading down to the observation bulb.

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Solar Floating Resort by Michele Puzzolante

The lowest room lets guests indulge in a bit of extreme underwater tourism.

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Solar Floating Resort by Michele Puzzolante

What could be a better eco retreat than drifting along the coastline in your own self-sustaining floating resort? Designed by Michele Puzzolante, this aquatic escape is a waterworld-esque floating island that offers a slice of the good life - even as the world's receding shorelines become cluttered with hotels. The Solar Floating Resort (SFR) sleeps six and sports an underwater observation room, a photovoltaic thin-film skin, and an on-deck Jacuzzi.